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AFC Preseason Week 1 Recap

by ASA - 08/16/2006

Baltimore Ravens
If Fridayâ€™s preseason opener versus the Giants is any indication, the Ravens may finally have an offense that can hold a candle to their defense. Baltimoreâ€™s first string offense marched down the field on its first possession and put a touchdown on the board. Newcomer Steve McNair played only the opening possession, but showed a solid comfort level in the Raven offensive scheme. The Baltimore running game also showed signs of rebounding from last yearâ€™s poor season, averaging 5.3 yards a carry en route to a 137-yard game. Starter Jamal Lewis seems to have regained his Pro Bowl form, gaining 34 yards on six carries.

Buffalo Bills
The Billsâ€™ first-string offense carried its ineptitude from 2005 over into the 2006 preseason opener versus Carolina. Kelly Holcomb, embroiled in a three-horse battle for the starting quarterback nod with J.P. Losman and Craig Nall, got the start for Buffalo but failed to move the ball in his four series under center. Losman took over against the second-string Carolina defense and led the Bills to two scoring drives. Nall sat out with an injury.

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals put their off-the-field turmoil behind them in downing the Redskins 19-3 in the preseason opener. Cincinnati put up nine first quarter points despite the absence of quarterback Carson Palmer and running back Rudi Johnson and with wideout Chad Johnson seeing limited action. The Bengal defense looks like it will continue its high turnover ratio, intercepting three passes after leading the NFL in picks a year ago.

Cleveland Browns
The Brownsâ€™ offense looked downright horrible in Clevelandâ€™s 20-7 loss to Philadelphia in the preseason opener, tallying only 179 total yards of offense. One bright spot came from Kellon Winslow II, who saw his first action in nearly two years. The former No. 6 pick tallied only two catches for seven yards, but he moved well and made several nice blocks in the running game.

Denver Broncos
First-round pick Jay Cutler was the story for the Broncos in their 20-13 loss to the Lions. The rookie quarterback out of Vanderbilt showed why Denver made him the No. 11 selection in the 2006 draft, completing 16 of 20 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. If Cutler continues his strong play throughout the preseason, Denver fans could be calling for him to be the starter at the first sign of incumbent Jake Plummer reverting back to his turnover ways.

Houston Texans
The Gary Kubiak era in Houston got off to a strong start, with the Texans earning a 24-14 victory over Kansas City in the preseason opener. The Texansâ€™ offense and defense played equally well with the offense totaling 325 yards and the defense surrendering only 172 yards against a quality Kansas City offense. Houston, which was chastised by many for skipping over running back Reggie Bush in the draft, didnâ€™t seem to need the former USC standout as the Texans ran roughshod through the Chief defense with 173 yards on the ground.

Indianapolis Colts
The hole left by Edgerrin James, who was basically shown the door by the Colts, showed in the preseason opener, with the Colts gaining only 38 yards on the ground. Dominic Rhodes and first-round pick Joseph Addai are expected to fill the gap left by James but the Colts will need more than a combined 13 yards on seven carries from those two if their offense is to remain one of the best in the league.

Jacksonville Jaguars
What the Jacksonville offense lacked in the running game â€“ only 55 yards on 20 carries â€“ it more than made up for in its passing game. The Jags averaged fewer than 200 passing yards a game last year, 19th in the NFL, but tallied 332 yards in only 27 attempts in their 31-26 win over Miami. The Jacksonville offense went deep for all four of its touchdowns, scoring on plays of 51, 62, 55 and 51 yards.

Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City struggled mightily in its 24-14 loss to Houston. The offense was shaky with only 172 yards and the defense showed some weaknesses in allowing 325 yards to a weak Texan offense.

Miami Dolphins
The Miami offense gained 380 total yards and held a nearly 13-minute time of possession advantage but the holes in the Dolphin secondary was the biggest story in Miamiâ€™s 31-26 loss to Jacksonville. Miami surrendered scoring passes of 51, 62, 55 and 51 yards to a Jacksonville offense not known for its deep passing game. The Dolphins may finally be seeing the effects of letting the likes of Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and Sammy Knight leave via free agency.

New England Patriots
Tom Bradyâ€™s receiving corps is a shell of its former self following the defection of David Givens to Tennessee and the holdout of Deion Branch but Brady may not need any receivers at all if his running backs can continue to perform the way they did in New Englandâ€™s 26-23 loss in the preseason opener. Starter Corey Dillon looks like he has recovered from last seasonâ€™s injury woes â€“ gaining 27 yards on five carries â€“ and first-round pick Laurence Maroney showed to be a more than capable replacement should Dillon go down, totaling 66 yards on only nine carries.

New York Jets
While the big story coming out of the Jetsâ€™ camp may be who will be taking the snaps under center, itâ€™s not going to matter unless New York can find some semblance of a running game. With Curtis Martinâ€™s future in doubt, the Jets need somebody to step up and take the reins but so far nobody has stepped up to the forefront. New York tallied only 44 rushing yards on 16 carries in its 16-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Cedric Houston led the way with a whopping 17 yards on six carries.

Pittsburgh Stealers
Ben Roethlisberger showed no ill effects after this offseasonâ€™s motorcycle accident, completing 3-of-4 passes for 29 yards in his only series. Roethlisberger was pressured on a couple of plays but shrugged off any contact. First-round pick Santonio Holmes had a nice Steeler debut, grabbing four passes for 32 yards.

San Diego Chargers
Former first round pick Philip Rivers will make Charger fans forget Drew Brees real quickly if he continues to play the way he did in San Diegoâ€™s 17-3 win over Green Bay. Rivers led the Chargers on two scoring drives and completed 15 of 21 yards for 169 yards and a touchdown, all without the services of Pro Bowl running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Tennessee Titans
Tennessee struggled on both offense and defense in dropping its preseason opener 19-16 to the Saints. The Titans totaled only 219 yards on offense while allowing 401 yards on defense. The one bright spot for Tennessee came in the running game. Starter Chris Brown ran nine times for 47 yards and Vince Young â€“ who completed only 4 of 11 passes for 56 yards â€“ put his scrambling ability on display with 28 yards on four carries.

Baltimore Ravens
If Fridayâ€™s preseason opener versus the Giants is any indication, the Ravens may finally have an offense that can hold a candle to their defense. Baltimoreâ€™s first string offense marched down the field on its first possession and put a touchdown on the board. Newcomer Steve McNair played only the opening possession, but showed a solid comfort level in the Raven offensive scheme. The Baltimore running game also showed signs of rebounding from last yearâ€™s poor season, averaging 5.3 yards a carry en route to a 137-yard game. Starter Jamal Lewis seems to have regained his Pro Bowl form, gaining 34 yards on six carries.

Buffalo Bills
The Billsâ€™ first-string offense carried its ineptitude from 2005 over into the 2006 preseason opener versus Carolina. Kelly Holcomb, embroiled in a three-horse battle for the starting quarterback nod with J.P. Losman and Craig Nall, got the start for Buffalo but failed to move the ball in his four series under center. Losman took over against the second-string Carolina defense and led the Bills to two scoring drives. Nall sat out with an injury.

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals put their off-the-field turmoil behind them in downing the Redskins 19-3 in the preseason opener. Cincinnati put up nine first quarter points despite the absence of quarterback Carson Palmer and running back Rudi Johnson and with wideout Chad Johnson seeing limited action. The Bengal defense looks like it will continue its high turnover ratio, intercepting three passes after leading the NFL in picks a year ago.

Cleveland Browns
The Brownsâ€™ offense looked downright horrible in Clevelandâ€™s 20-7 loss to Philadelphia in the preseason opener, tallying only 179 total yards of offense. One bright spot came from Kellon Winslow II, who saw his first action in nearly two years. The former No. 6 pick tallied only two catches for seven yards, but he moved well and made several nice blocks in the running game.

Denver Broncos
First-round pick Jay Cutler was the story for the Broncos in their 20-13 loss to the Lions. The rookie quarterback out of Vanderbilt showed why Denver made him the No. 11 selection in the 2006 draft, completing 16 of 20 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. If Cutler continues his strong play throughout the preseason, Denver fans could be calling for him to be the starter at the first sign of incumbent Jake Plummer reverting back to his turnover ways.

Houston Texans
The Gary Kubiak era in Houston got off to a strong start, with the Texans earning a 24-14 victory over Kansas City in the preseason opener. The Texansâ€™ offense and defense played equally well with the offense totaling 325 yards and the defense surrendering only 172 yards against a quality Kansas City offense. Houston, which was chastised by many for skipping over running back Reggie Bush in the draft, didnâ€™t seem to need the former USC standout as the Texans ran roughshod through the Chief defense with 173 yards on the ground.

Indianapolis Colts
The hole left by Edgerrin James, who was basically shown the door by the Colts, showed in the preseason opener, with the Colts gaining only 38 yards on the ground. Dominic Rhodes and first-round pick Joseph Addai are expected to fill the gap left by James but the Colts will need more than a combined 13 yards on seven carries from those two if their offense is to remain one of the best in the league.

Jacksonville Jaguars
What the Jacksonville offense lacked in the running game â€“ only 55 yards on 20 carries â€“ it more than made up for in its passing game. The Jags averaged fewer than 200 passing yards a game last year, 19th in the NFL, but tallied 332 yards in only 27 attempts in their 31-26 win over Miami. The Jacksonville offense went deep for all four of its touchdowns, scoring on plays of 51, 62, 55 and 51 yards.

Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City struggled mightily in its 24-14 loss to Houston. The offense was shaky with only 172 yards and the defense showed some weaknesses in allowing 325 yards to a weak Texan offense.

Miami Dolphins
The Miami offense gained 380 total yards and held a nearly 13-minute time of possession advantage but the holes in the Dolphin secondary was the biggest story in Miamiâ€™s 31-26 loss to Jacksonville. Miami surrendered scoring passes of 51, 62, 55 and 51 yards to a Jacksonville offense not known for its deep passing game. The Dolphins may finally be seeing the effects of letting the likes of Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and Sammy Knight leave via free agency.

New England Patriots
Tom Bradyâ€™s receiving corps is a shell of its former self following the defection of David Givens to Tennessee and the holdout of Deion Branch but Brady may not need any receivers at all if his running backs can continue to perform the way they did in New Englandâ€™s 26-23 loss in the preseason opener. Starter Corey Dillon looks like he has recovered from last seasonâ€™s injury woes â€“ gaining 27 yards on five carries â€“ and first-round pick Laurence Maroney showed to be a more than capable replacement should Dillon go down, totaling 66 yards on only nine carries.

New York Jets
While the big story coming out of the Jetsâ€™ camp may be who will be taking the snaps under center, itâ€™s not going to matter unless New York can find some semblance of a running game. With Curtis Martinâ€™s future in doubt, the Jets need somebody to step up and take the reins but so far nobody has stepped up to the forefront. New York tallied only 44 rushing yards on 16 carries in its 16-3 loss to Tampa Bay. Cedric Houston led the way with a whopping 17 yards on six carries.

Oakland Raiders

Pittsburgh Stealers
Ben Roethlisberger showed no ill effects after this offseasonâ€™s motorcycle accident, completing 3-of-4 passes for 29 yards in his only series. Roethlisberger was pressured on a couple of plays but shrugged off any contact. First-round pick Santonio Holmes had a nice Steeler debut, grabbing four passes for 32 yards.

San Diego Chargers
Former first round pick Philip Rivers will make Charger fans forget Drew Brees real quickly if he continues to play the way he did in San Diegoâ€™s 17-3 win over Green Bay. Rivers led the Chargers on two scoring drives and completed 15 of 21 yards for 169 yards and a touchdown, all without the services of Pro Bowl running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Tennessee Titans
Tennessee struggled on both offense and defense in dropping its preseason opener 19-16 to the Saints. The Titans totaled only 219 yards on offense while allowing 401 yards on defense. The one bright spot for Tennessee came in the running game. Starter Chris Brown ran nine times for 47 yards and Vince Young â€“ who completed only 4 of 11 passes for 56 yards â€“ put his scrambling ability on display with 28 yards on four carries.